This Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Quinoa and Sweet Potaotes is packed with fiber and flavor. Throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! Thank you to USA Pulses and Pulse Canada for helping me share this recipe with you.
There are certain times of the year that I can barely drag myself to the kitchen to make a regular meal. If I make a big Thanksgiving feast, another one at Christmas and throw some appetizers on the table for New Year’s Eve, I should be let off the meal prep hook for the rest of the holiday season, right? That should #2 in the family cook union rules, right after “He or she who cooks the meals shall forevermore be released from dish duty.”
It seems highly unlikely that my proposed rule #2 will be enacted, so I’m turning to every 30-minute meal and slow cooker recipe in my arsenal. I will hazard a guess and say that the crockpot was first invented by someone who had just cooked several holiday meals and was tasked with whipping up a healthy family dinner. I will be forever grateful.
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
This slow cooker bean soup requires about 5 minutes of sautéing before throwing all of the ingredients into the crockpot, pressing start and walking away. Yes, there’s a bit of chopping, but that should take less than 10 minutes.
If you’ve followed along this year, you already know that I’ve been talking about the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses and encouraging you to sign The Pulse Pledge. Pulses include dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas and I’ve been making a concerted effort to add them into our diets at least once a week. Truth be told, that hasn’t been too difficult – pulses lend themselves to stews, soups, salads, breads and many other types of recipes.
While dried beans are always a great option, I chose to use canned red kidney beans for this slow cooker bean soup. They’re economical, easy to store and require just a quick rinse before being incorporated into a recipe. Red kidney beans do a great job of absorbing the seasonings in the dish, making them a go-to ingredient for soups and chili.
And let’s not forget that red kidney beans are an excellent source of protein, fiber and folate, along with other nutrients.
If you prefer a broth-ier soup, stir in some additional vegetable broth shortly before heating. The quinoa absorbs a lot of liquid, so will turn your soup into a stew the longer it sits. Either way, it’s perfect for dunking in a chunk of crusty bread!
Other slow cooker pulse recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Slow Cooker Chipotle Lentil Soup
Cookin’ Canuck’s Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Kielbasa & White Bean Soup
Eat Good 4 Life’s Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
Simple Bites’ Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.
Slow Cooker Bean Soup Recipe with Quinoa & Sweet Potatoes
This Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Quinoa and Sweet Potaotes is packed with fiber and flavor. Throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! 218 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (14 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 lb. sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper (or more to taste)
- 6 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
- Hot sauce, to taste (I used about 2 tbsp of my favorite)
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer the onion mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the kidney beans, sweet potato, quinoa, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the vegetable broth.
- Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, or until the sweet potato is tender.
- Stir in the spinach, parsley and hot sauce. Adjust seasonings to desired taste. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Debbie says
Is the quinoa raw when you add it?
Dara says
Hi Debbie – yes, the quinoa is dry when added. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Stephanie says
Ohh this looks so flavorful and comforting!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
You speak my love language!! This looks so good!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
This looks so filling! I need to make it this week since it’s perfect for chilly days!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
I would love a bowl of this soup on a cool fall day!
Aggie says
You are absolutely reading my mind Dara. I have had absolutely no desire to make dinner this week or this past weekend. It’s catching up to me and this soup is what I need!! I love how lentils and quinoa thickens up a soup and make it so hearty in the best way possible.
TidyMom says
wow love all the flavors in one dish!
Ginny McMeans says
I am obsessed with this soup. Healthy and beautiful all at once.
Sharon @What The Fork says
This is a great soup to help us get through the cold winter days ahead!
Laura at I Heart Naptime says
Delicious! This looks so great for these chilly weeknights where I run kids around for hours and want something healthy and warm for dinner!
Taylor Kiser says
Love a super easy recipe like this that has so much wonderful flavor! This bean soup looks so delicious! Love the pop of color from the red beans and the sweet potato. Mmm, the perfect fall dinner!
Joanna says
Delish! I used garbanzo beans and butternut squash because I had that on hand and kidney beans are not my favorite. I also sprinkled Feta cheese on top. I will absolutely make this again!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oooh! I love heart, slow cooker recipes like this one! Yummy!
Angela says
I love all your recipes! Was going to make this today but noticed the amount of vegetable broth is not listed. Please help! Thank you so much.
Angela says
Thank you so much!
Dara says
Edited to add the broth amount.
Joanna1234 says
Two words: Make this! This is just so damn good! I added some extra broth at the end, as mentioned in the recipe, because we wanted more broth. I couldn’t believe how full I was after just one helping.
Nicole says
Do you think this could be saved in freezer to be taken out when needed to throw in crock pot?
Luz says
Hello ,
I want to make this but the adjustment button don’t work . When I put 4 servings it gives me 4 cups of quinoa.
Dara says
Hi Luz, it should be working now!
Janice Gartner says
Delicious and so easy!
Cynthia Severson says
Nice soup recipe, Is it suitable for 1 year toddler ? I wants to prepare this for my daughter.
Dara says
Hi Cynthia, I suppose it depends on what foods you’ve introduced to your daughter at this point. If she typically eats the items in the soup, then I’d imagine she’d like it, though you might want to omit the hot sauce from her portion.